Wenger hopeful over Arshavin deal

Arsene Wenger insists he is still confident of signing Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin before Monday’s transfer deadline even though the deal has hit a series of problems.

Arsenal’s need to recruit the Zenit St Petersburg midfielder was highlighted by Saturday’s uninspired 0-0 draw with West Ham.

Zenit had initially demanded 20 million pounds for their star player – around eight million pounds more than Arsenal’s first offer – and while the clubs are closer to agreeing a fee, there are also suggestions that the north Londoners are unwilling to match Arshavin’s wage demands.

Any deal must be registered with the Premier League by 1700 GMT on Monday, which leaves precious little time for the clubs to complete their protracted negotiations.

Wenger, who denied reports that Arshavin had flown to London on Saturday night, is refusing to give up hope that the transfer will be rubber-stamped by then, but also suggested Arsenal could cope in the event that their primary target remains in Russia.

“We are not far away and we have a bit of time now this game is over,” he said. “We will see what we can do in the next 24 hours. I don’t know if I’m confident or not. With the experience I have, anything can happen in a transfer.

“Maybe it will be completed, maybe it won’t. It doesn’t worry me either way. He can unlock defences and maybe we needed him today.

“But remember we have other players who can do that who are not available at the moment but who could be in the next two months.”

Wenger was referring to Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky – all currently injured – but the way Arsenal failed to break down against a well-organised West Ham side must have concerned him.

Arshavin is the sort of creator who is capable of opening defences with a canny pass or clever run, and in the time Arsenal have spent haggling over the minutiae of the deal with Zenit, they have leaked crucial points.

They were fortunate not to lose any further ground on fourth-placed Aston Villa, who also endured a frustrating afternoon against Wigan, but Martin O’Neill’s side are still five points clear of Arsenal and will feel confident of preserving that advantage until May if their rivals have not strengthened by the time the window closes.

Not that Wenger sees it that way. “I do not care too much about Aston Villa, I have to say,” he claimed. “I’m disappointed by the result today but we worked very hard, dominated possession and restricted them to virtually no chances. We just lacked a bit of sharpness.”

Wenger’s problems were compounded by two more injuries to his already depleted midfield. Emmanuel Eboue hobbled off towards the end of the first half with a thigh problem, while Abou Diaby left the field on a stretcher in the closing stages with a similar injury after colliding with West Ham substitute Savio.

Diaby, who had already been ruled out of Tuesday’s FA Cup replay with Cardif after collecting a fifth booking of the season in the first half against the Hammers, will be assessed again on Monday.

There are no such concerns for West Ham, who stretched their unbeaten run to eight games. Gianfranco Zola’s side were dogged and determined – with James Collins and Matthew Upson, their indomitable centre-halves, particularly impressive – and while they hardly mustered an effort in anger, they will still consider this a point gained.

“It’s very important for the players’ confidence levels to get points at the big clubs, and we’ve made significant progress since November,” assistant manager Steve Clarke said. “It’s been down to hard work. The attitude has been excellent and you can see the guys know what they’re doing.”